There are times when you want to share your couch with your dog. After all, there’s nothing better than snuggling up with your furry friend at the end of a long day. However, there are also times when you may not want your dog on the couch—such as when guests are visiting. By teaching your dog to both get on the couch and off the couch, you can have the best of both worlds!
Do you struggle getting your dog to come inside after playtime in the yard? While it’s frustrating when your dog ignores you, who could blame your pup when being outside is so much more exciting than being indoors? The trick is to flip that dynamic and make coming inside more fun!
No treats? No problem! There are many other reinforcers besides food that can be leveraged in a training session. In fact, you may find some of these non-food reinforcers right under your nose (or your feet)!
Teaching an old dog a new trick is not only possible, it’s beneficial! Training older dogs helps keep them in good shape both physically and mentally. Think of training as Sudoku for dogs! Learning new behaviors is also enriching and fun for you and your dog. It is a great way to spend time together and strengthen your bond.
Can you teach your dog to offer two opposite behaviors? How… and why?
Teaching paired, opposite behaviors accelerates the learning process by helping the dog understand a behavior in context. It also teaches the dog a concept that can be applied to future learning.
Looking for a fun way to build new behaviors while building your chops as a trainer? Try shaping! Shaping is the process of building a particular behavior gradually using a series of small steps to achieve the final behavior. It is a helpful addition to your training toolkit—especially useful for teaching behaviors that are complex or difficult to train in another manner.
One question that trainers are often asked is if food treats must be used as the reinforcer. Some dogs do not like treats. There may be a time when you don’t have treats with you. Perhaps you just want to add variety to your training routine. The good news is that non-food reinforcers, such as petting or praise, can be just as powerful as food treats for some dogs—this type of reinforcement doesn’t require anything except you and your dog!
Living in a multi-dog household can be enjoyable and fun, but it can also be chaotic—especially when it comes time for training. How do you teach one dog new behaviors in the presence of another dog? The simplest way to solve this challenge is to either separate the dogs or keep them together and station the non-working dog on a mat.
Does your dog respond to cues reliably at home but fails to respond when you ask for those same cues in a new environment? Your dog isn’t being stubborn on purpose. He simply doesn’t know the behavior to the extent that you think he does!
When thinking about positive reinforcement, food treats are likely top of mind. However, there may be times when you can’t use food because it’s off-limits for medical or other reasons. Fortunately, there are a number of other ways you can reinforce your dog’s behavior when it’s not convenient or safe to use food reinforcers.
